finding peace in a busy life

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Sit still, look pretty

Every time this song comes on the radio I feel empowered. I am not the type of person to sit around and do nothing. Yes, I can spend a Sunday doing nothing except for odd tasks and playing video games with my kids, but for the most part I am a busy person. I was talking with fellow PTA moms and leaders last Friday and I call us yes-ers, the people who say yes to doing anything and everything. Some things I have said yes to:

negotiating the teacher’s contract, being president of the union, subbing for after school tutoring, opening our small business, being our accountant, being president of my kids’ school PTA, yearbook chair, running regional tournaments for our karate association, keeping attendance records for our regional workouts, board of education strategic plan committee, running for school board (election is April 4th) and other miscellaneous things like field trips, outings, projects, etc.

I think it is hard-wired into my DNA to just say Yes. When I was growing up we learned to “Just say No to Drugs.” I think I needed to learn the lesson of “Just say No to extra stuff.” All the volunteer activities, committees, and extra fun stuff mixed with the required day-to-day events like work and school make me appreciate lazy Sundays more. Like yesterday. Nothing planned. Kids had a sleepover and friends were going home. All I had to do was laundry and pick up my daughter’s glasses. So Paul and I decided to install cabinets and shelves in the laundry room. Why not, when you have nothing to do? May as well keep busy, and cross one more project off the list. Since I always seem to say “yes” to things, we fixed the laundry room. But on a lazy Sunday, we can do this project at our own pace. We took time to hang out with the kids, grocery shop, and pick up those glasses. We didn’t start the project until almost 3pm (which for us is VERY late). There is no need to rush on a lazy Sunday, but also no need to sit still, and look pretty.